The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1887-10-15
Continued from Editorial Page.

VI SJ HCTeS tIle SUN OI PffO Oub OI
which to pay his labor, his repairs,
his taxes, his interest--if he owed
anything on his farm or stock
his insurance, and then support
his family. Think of that and
compare his lot with that of some
of tn g capitalists in protected mo-
nopolies, such as the plate glass
monopoly. Perhaps that would be
too significant. Then compare 1t
with the result In the mechanical
and manufacturing industries of
some Of the Eastern States, where
in the capitalists have from 80 to 80
per cent. to divide among them
selves after paying for all labor
and material. In Main it was in
1880 8O96, Connecticut 38%, Massa-
chusetts 3s96, upon the capital in
vested. Those States have been
the homes of protection. Here in
Ohio. the farmers return upon
81, 900 worth Of his capital before
paying his labor was 1926 for the
year. In Massachusetts the man.
facturer's return for the year on
81, 900 of his capital was $3.50 after
paying his labor. I have no doubt
that the Governor believed the
statement he made of the marvel
Gus prosperity of the farmer as the
result of the protective system. He
must have been thoroughly satis-
fed of it. This may account for
his earnestness and vigor in his
special message to the General
Assembly April 1885, urging "that
the valuation of real estate rarely
exceeds 7596 and ranges downward
from that poiut as low as 2596 of
its true value" This may also ac-
count for his insisting in that
message "that so long as the pres
ent valuation of real estate stands
great injustice will be done to
all whose property is even approx
imately correctly valued, and that
the State will continue unable to
meet the public demands without
embarrassment" Yes he felt that
the farmers had grown rich by vir-
tue of the blessings of the Repub-
lican national taxing system and
were wrongfully escaping their
share of the State taxation. Ac-
cordingly he called the attention
of the General Assembly to their
delinquency and Recommended
therefore that q re-valuation BE
HAD AT ONCE, instead of making
for the next decimal valuation in
$780," But the Legislature did not
take the same view of the situa-
ton. So there are great many
people who doubt that such recon.
mendations were ever made by he
Governor. A garbled or changed
copy of this message is being cir
culated by those politicians who
do not wish the people to know
what was actually proposed: But
the Governor prefers to stand by
his own language. What I have
read to you is from the Senate
Journal of 1885 on page 361 and
363 and is his own words,
Let us turn from the land taxing
proposal of this Republican admin
istration to the land-saving policy
of the Democratic National Ad-
ministration. We have become ia
miliar with statements of the i'm
mense &C: cage of the public do
maine which had been granted to
railway and other corporations by
the Republican party. We have
seen them giving to favorite bodies
of capitalists, tracts of the public
lands which in the aggregate equal
the territory of several large states
in the Union. We indulge in a
just and pardonable pride that
neither before the Republican par
ty came into power nor since the
return of ours, has q single acre
been given to the corporations by
our party. We claim credit for a
distinctly aggressive policy to re-
cover, restore and retain for the
use of actual settlers all the land
that can be rightfully secured for
them. To do this, requires the cor.
rectiOns of mOnstrous abuses which
have sprung into existence and
fOurished under Republican rule,
Leases by cattle syndicates OF
great bodies of lands belonging to
the Indians, at trifling rates, had
sanctioned. Disturbances were
arising because of the frauds or de-
cepti0ns which had been practiced
upon the Indians to rob them OF
their homes. This administration
summarialy broke up that practice
and caused those land grabbers to
vacate Mt once. Quiet was restor-
ed and the neighboring settlers
ceased to entertain al trms. Vast
tracts of public lands had been
seized upon and fenced In by